18 May 2009

Anchor Dam

Yesterday and today we went to Anchor Dam and stopped along the way to explore. Here is a map of how to get there from Thermopolis. It is 37 miles from here. (My wife took 14 of the following shots.)

Just after turning off of WY-120 onto WY-170, toward Hamilton Dome, is this abandoned building:

A bit further down the road is this unusual fence:

Just as I was photographing the fence, Jake (below) drove up and introduced himself. He and his neighbor share a driveway, and the neighbor is the one who purchased the discarded logs which had served as guardrails along the Wind River Canyon road before they were replaced with something modern.

I was glad Jake allowed me to photograph him because he fits my stereotype of a Wyoming elder gentleman (even though he was born and raised in Flint, Michigan).

The road to Anchor Dam passes Hamilton Dome, and we drove down the road that takes you to Hamilton Dome to take a picture of this old schoolhouse. The structure in back was probably the outhouse with a boys on one side and a girls on the other and what appears to be a coal bin in the center.

We then came to what must have been a settlement years ago--maybe a store, a motel (?), along with a barn and a home.

This is a long driveway!

Here is another abandoned home we photographed.The following three shots were taken in the yard of the above home:

The shot below was taken in January of this year. Here is where the paved road ends and you turn left toward the dam.

I have put the January shots here so that you can see the difference.The graffiti below says, "THIS DAMNED DAM DOESN'T HOLD WATER BECAUSE NUBIAN SANDSTONE ABSORBS WATER ENDLESSLY. SINCERELY, DEPT./INTERIOR." As you can see, this dam was a great idea, but it failed to accomplish its goal. Here is a link to another point of view regarding this matter.

As we were leaving the dam itself, we crossed paths with this couple who live along Owl Creek. Their goats required a photograph.

On the other side of the "reservoir" is a picnic area, so we got back in the car and drove around to it.

Here is where we enjoyed out picnic.

Below is the outhouse with the snowcapped mountains in the background: